Sex after hysterectomy? It’s a real question and concern by women who wonder about their ability and desire for sex after a hysterectomy. The answer is — yes, absolutely! Sex after hysterectomy can be a normal, enjoyable part of a woman’s life. The majority of women following hysterectomy surgery experience either an unchanged sex life or even improved sex after a hysterectomy.
Hysterectomy surgery has advantages and disadvantages. Often the surgery is performed to alleviate discomfort, pain or abnormalities that the woman is experiencing. If you had heavy bleeding, pressure and pain before your hysterectomy, sex after hysterectomy should improve. One change that many women experience during sex after a hysterectomy is that they no longer experience uterine contractions during orgasm. This is not surprising, however, since the uterus has been removed.
According to authors Dr. Scott Goodwin, Dr. Michael Broder and studies by the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology — if your sex life was good before hysterectomy, sex after a hysterectomy will likely remain the same or even improve after your surgery. In general, hysterectomy should have no adverse effects on your sexuality, provided you are informed of the side effects of hysterectomy and hormone imbalance.
Physically, if your hysterectomy procedure requires the vagina be made shorter, you may experience pain during sex after hysterectomy. To reduce pain due to this reason, consider being on top during sex to control the level of penetration. Deep penetration may also temporarily cause discomfort in the early months after hysterectomy surgery. This can be overcome by altering the sexual positions or altering the angle of penetration. Allow adequate time for the stitches in the vagina to heal, usually about six weeks. Initially, the vagina may seem somewhat shortened, but sex after hysterectomy can gradually stretch the vaginal tissue.
According to family physician and author Dr. John R. Lee, following hysterectomy, you will experience a deficiency of the critical hormones progesterone, estrogen and testosterone which can affect sex after hysterectomy. Progesterone levels fall dramatically in one to two months since ovulation is required to produce progesterone. Progesterone deficiency is related to numerous side effects including increased risk of developing certain kinds of cancer such as endometrial cancer.
Testosterone deficiency in women causes low sex drive, low energy levels, thyroid deficiency and depression. Normal testosterone production requires sufficient progesterone levels in a woman’s body, according to Dr. Lee. And estrogen levels will decrease in one or two years, and estrogen deficiency can result in vaginal dryness, hot flashes and night sweats.
How can you know more about hysterectomy, hormone imbalance and side effects of hysterectomy? There is an online hormone health test provided by a leading women’s health clinic that you can take. The hormone health test takes just a few minutes and is free. Learn as much as you can about hormone imbalance, hysterectomy recovery and physician-recommended natural hormone replacement therapy.
